Chris Pratt Up For Lead in Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Studios has cast Chris Pratt (Moneyball, Zero Dark Thirty, Parks and Recreation) as the lead in Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadline reports, though we do not have official studio confirmation yet.

Marvel has been on the search for the right actor to play Star-Lord (Peter Quill) in this wild card of their cinematic universe for months.

The outlet reports that studio made “test deals with Zero Dark Thirty‘s Joel Edgerton, Boardwalk Empire‘s Jack Huston, Cloud Atlas‘ Jim Sturgess, Lee Pace (who has roles in both Lincoln and The Hobbit), and Eddie Redmayne from Les Miserables. More recently, Zachary Levi was identified as a candidate. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was pursued, but he has other plans.” They are ultimately betting on Pratt to headline this next franchise. James Gunn is set to direct the actor as the leader of the Guardians who is the child of an alien father and human mother.

Bert Macklin, Guardian of the Galaxy!

What do you think of the casting choice?

Based on the Marvel comic books of the same name, Guardians of the Galaxy features an unlikely cast of characters who must team up in order to defeat a cosmic force of epic proportions. In the comics, The Guardians team with The Avengers, so there is plenty of speculation about Marvel's ultimate plans as it relates to this next franchise starter.

Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.